Car Accident While Parked – Seeking Advice
Hi everyone, I hope you can provide some insights. Yesterday, I walked out of my apartment to find my parked car severely damaged—it had been pushed onto the curb and into the vehicle behind it. Witnesses mentioned that the driver accelerated from a stop in the middle of the street, covering about 30 yards before crashing into my car. Thankfully, some neighbors intervened and prevented the driver from leaving right away. They exchanged contact information, and I’ve already reached out to the other party’s insurance to start a claim.
I also filed a claim with my own insurance to get my car towed since the driver’s side door wouldn’t open, and honestly, I didn’t want to deal with it myself. I’m not entirely sure if I handled everything correctly, but when I mentioned filing claims simultaneously to both insurance companies, no one indicated it was a problem. I have full coverage, but I’m bracing myself for the possibility that my car might be totaled—especially since I just got it back after a previous rear-end collision on the freeway that cost over $9,000 to repair, and this accident looks even worse.
So, what can I expect going forward? I managed to get some Ring footage from my neighbors, and the police came to tow the other vehicle and filed a report. However, the driver left before the police arrived, even though they initially provided their information. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
I’m really sorry to hear about your car accident—that sounds incredibly frustrating, especially since you just got your car back from the previous incident. It sounds like you’ve taken the right steps so far by contacting both the other driver’s insurance and your own, and filing a police report is definitely a good move.
Here’s what you can generally expect moving forward:
Insurance Claims Process: Both insurance companies will investigate the incident. Since you have witnesses and video footage, that should help establish what happened. Make sure to share the footage with both insurers as it could support your claim.
Assessing Damage: An adjuster from your insurer will likely assess the damage to determine if your car is indeed totaled. The threshold for totaling varies by insurance company but is often around 70% of the car’s value in damages. They might use the market value of your car to do this assessment.
Settlement Offers: If your car is deemed a total loss, your insurance will typically offer you a settlement based on its actual cash value before the accident. This might be a tough pill to swallow, especially if you’ve invested more money into repairs recently.
Repair Options: If your car isn’t totaled (though it sounds like the damage is severe), your insurance will guide you through the repair process, and they may work with the other driver’s insurance to cover costs.
Follow-Up: Keep all documentation, including police reports, photos, and witness statements. It’s also good to follow up regularly with your insurance company to stay informed about the status of your claims.
Potential Legal Action: If you feel the other driver was negligent (which it sounds like they were), you might want to consider discussing the situation with a lawyer, especially if you face issues getting fair compensation.
Since your car history is somewhat turbulent, keeping detailed records of all interactions with your insurance and any expenses incurred will also be beneficial. Lastly, take care of yourself through this process—dealing with accidents can be very stressful!